HACKEVA
by diabloelmo
Summary: Following third impact, the exEVA pilots seek to escape form the world that they saved, and turned to 'the world' to do so... I finally got chap 6 up! I'm back in buisness!
1. Roleplay

.HACKEVA

Author's notes:

Well, this would be my first crossover fic, so go easy on me, eh? I decided to stop writing 'EVANGELION: 2035' due to lack of interest (i.e. no reviews) and plot holes large enough to drive a truck through.

Not only is this fic gunna have less in the way of nitty-gritty details from either anime series for me to get wrong, but I'm doing my own disclaimers! Yes, I'm sorry to all the muse fans out there, but I've decided to let my muse out of his cage, back into the wild. Be afraid. Be very afraid…

Anyway, I don't own either Neon Genesis Evangelion or .HACKSign. I do own several pairs of shorts, a couple of shirts and a left sock. And if anyone REALLY wants my sock, they can take it over my dead body….

Anyway, on with the show!

CHAPTER ONE: ROLEPLAY

It was late.

A woman stood in the doorway of one of the bedrooms of her apartment. She quietly observed the room's sole occupant; a 16 year old boy.

The boy in question sat in front of a computer screen, his hands resting on the keyboard, occasionally moving. Over his eyes rested a set of virtual reality goggles, the silvery metal contrasting with his Asian skin and black hair. A small pile of empty soda cans lay next to him on the floor, their very presence showing the woman that this game was taking up more and more of the boy's time. She shook her head with worry, and left her charge, Shinji Ikari, to his fantasy.

The air was split by a shrill scream of pain.

A young man hid with his back against a pillar, thumbing the lever on his repeater crossbow-pistol, another bolt slipping into place. In his other hand he held a slightly curved katana. He was dressed entirely in a black fighting costume, over which he wore lacquered steel bracers, greaves and a light breastplate. Counting softly to a predetermined number, he spun back out into the open, pulling the trigger on his weapon as soon as he had a bearing on the target.

The tiny crossbow bolt slammed through the tough scales of the lizard warrior, breaking the bones of its right shoulder, a similar wound showing on its left thigh. Its sword slipping out of useless fingers, the monster charged, blind rage clouding its better judgement.

The young warrior leapt aside, easily evading the rending claws of his opponent. Turning the dodge into a spin, he slashed out with his katana, dispatching the lizard warrior into a puff of smoke. Where the monster stood a moment before lay a small pile of gold coins.

Sliding his sword back into its sheath, the warrior known as Shadow knelt, scooped the coins into a pouch, and ventured deeper into the dungeon.

Tip-toeing a short way down the hall, the woman silently opened the door of the next room. A similar scene from the last greeted her, except this teen was a female. Red hair cascaded down her shoulders, held back by a pair of red hairclips. Her fair skin showed her to be western in origin, as would her blue eyes, had they been visible behind the goggles. The speakers of this computer were softly playing a selection of pop songs, but it was obvious that the girl was not paying attention to anything other than her game.

Sighing, the woman left her other ward, Asuka Langley Soryu, and went to bed.

Looking again at her Automap, the young woman growled deep in her throat. She had been wandering around this dungeon for nearly an hour, but the treasure chest she knew to be there somewhere was not in evidence. Sighing, she lent her long-bladed battle spear up against a nearby wall, and sat down to rest. She was clad in lightweight, bright crimson battle harness, her leather armour trimmed in gold. Looking all the world like an Amazon warrior, she had the temper to match. The player known as Blood Angel stood, looked in a direction she had not yet searched, and began to walk.

Across the other side of the city known as Tokyo-3, another teenager sat in front of a computer. She had not previously needed one, but since she had discovered the game called simply 'The World', she had bought one. The young albino also had a set of goggles over her eyes, her blue locks pushed aside. Rei Ayanami, like her two old teammates, played in the virtual world, seeking to escape from reality.

"Hey! Wavemaster! Want to join our party? You look kinda lonely."

The young woman turned to face the direction the shout had come from. She wore a light blue robe, with a darker blue cloak. In her hands was held a Wavemaster staff, its green globe reflecting the moonlight off its shiny surface. Looking up, her red eyes regarded the group of adventurers that approached her. Deciding with a cool, calculating stare, she turned back around.

"No, thankyou."

The group stopped, looked at each other, and then as one, grinned.

"Well, we don't take no for an answer, see? And being out in a _dangerous_ field such as this," the leader, who was speaking, waved his hand around the desert background "You need to be in a party."

"I said no."

The leader, a tall, muscular heavy axeman, glanced at his friends, smirking. They fanned out, surrounding the girl.

"Well, we need to sho you what happens to people who say no to us, right guys?" This statement was followed by nods and murmurs of agreement.

"I do not wish to fight," Stated the albino, her hands clutching her staff harder. "but I will defend myself, if necessary."

The gang of axemen and swordsmen laughed, and advanced on her.

Half closing her eyes, Blue Oni summoned the energy of the wind that was howling around the desert, and released it in an expanding circle of destruction. The gang were blown off their feet, their health bars going down rapidly. One by one their life expired, and by the time Blue Oni halted the tide of energy, not one remained alive.

Quietly surveying the damage she had caused, the woman teleported away.

Author's notes: orright, what did yez think? If I get some feedback, I'll continue to write. If not, I dunno. Might keep writing just to spite everyone…..meh. leave a review! Pwese?


	2. Shadow

.HACKEVA

Author's notes:

Well, I have a review for this already, which I guess is a bit of a first! So, I'll write another chapter, and see how it goes down. If enough people like it, I'll make sure I keep writing!

Disclaimer: I don't own NGE or .HACK, unfortunately. If I did, I would be a very rich man. But I'm not, so I don't. I own a left sock that hasn't been washed in a long time, but it's still mine.

CHAPTER TWO: SHADOW

Misato sighed.

Portrayed before her was a scene that was becoming more and more regular. For yet another night, Shinji sat in front of his computer, playing in 'The World'. Ever since the events that happened a year and more ago, he had shrunk back from reality. Several weeks ago, he had found 'The World', an online Role-playing game where each player has complete control over his or her character. Ever since, Shinji had not done anything else, except gong to school, eating and sleeping. Of the three, the latter two he had been neglecting, so he was losing weight.

It was a woman worried about the closest thing to a son she had ever had that walked up behind Shinji, and lightly touched his shoulder.

An alien feeling broke Shadow's concentration, allowing his opponent to strike him with a quick jab. Snarling, he brought his crossbow pistol up and fired a small bolt into the large birdlike creature's face, killing it. As the immediate danger passed, he reverted back into the real world for a moment.

Shinji turned; lifting the virtual reality goggles off his eyes, and rested them on his mop of dark hair. Seeing the cause of his discomfort, he raised his head slightly.

"Yes Misato?"

"I er.." in truth, Misato didn't know herself why she had bothered Shinji. So, she made something up. "I wanted to know if you minded going out for dinner tonight. I know it's your turn to cook tonight, but I'll pay. What do you say?"

"Umm, no thanks, Misato. I think I'll stay here tonight." With that, he turned back around, re-adjusted his goggles, and again played in "the World'.

Misato let her sad expression creep back onto her face, as she turned and walked out of the room.

Glancing around the room for any possible danger, Shadow slowly eased open the door. Confidant that he was safe from any monsters, he stepped into the room and began walking towards the chest in the centre of the room, it's golden opulence gleaming in the low light of the cavernous room.

Tapping its lid with the tip of his sword, the chest creaked open. Inside, Shadow saw with a hint of disappointment, was a Mithril Rod. While an item of high value to a Wavemaster, the arcane wand was next to useless for someone of the warrior classes.

Sighing, he put it away. _I can always trade it for something good,_ he mused. _A low-level Wavemaster would give me plenty of gold for this_.

"HEY! THAT'S MINE!"

Shadow spun around, surprised. In the doorway stood a redheaded spear-woman, with a black talon tattoo around her left eye. And she did not look happy.

"What do you mean, yours?" he inquired of the obviously irate player. While a gentleman at heart, he nevertheless found it a lot easier to stand up to people in the virtual world.

"I mean, _Dummkopf_, that that piece of treasure you just picked up is mine. Give it to me!"

The sound of that voice, and more importantly, the words used, sent a chill down Shadow's spine. _Could it be Asuka? Nah, can't be_.

"Well, I was here first, so I think it's mine." Shadow made a show of slowly sliding another bolt into place. "Got a problem with that?"

The woman warrior smirked, and spun her spear into fighting position.

"Actually, I DO have a problem with that…."

Shadow acted first, spinning around for a quick roundhouse slash with his katana. dodging the attack, the spear-woman counter-attacked, using her weapon like a quarterstaff. Blocking the attack, Shadow jumped back a few meters, and as the other warrior charged in, her spear held level with his stomach, he raised the repeater crossbow-pistol in his right hand and fired at point-blank range.

The wickedly barbed bolt hit her in the face, slightly to the left of centre. The woman stoped dean in her charge, the force of the attack destroying her forward momentum.

As she fell to the ground, Shadow checked her for any useful items, before she turned grey and disappeared. Finding nothing of any value, he got up and walked out of the room.

In the room down the hall from Shinji's, Asuka swore. _When I find that asshole,_ she vowed, _I will tear his heart out._

Author's notes: well, how many saw that coming? I'm guessing everyone….meh, it give the story a bit of interest. Due to large amounts of schoolwork, my updating will be sporadic at best, or next to non-existent at the worst. I'll try, though.

And as for my reviews, thank you!

I have more reviews for this story that I have ever had for all of my previous stuff put together!


	3. Blue Oni

.HACKEVA

Author's notes: well, after such an outstanding responses, who am I to disappoint everyone? I have decided to come back to fanfiction writing, at least until HackEVA is finished. I have a few half-formed ideas for other fics, but that's down the track a bit.

In any case, I hope everyone enjoys reading this as I enjoy writing it.

CHAPTER THREE: BLUE ONI

A cold gust of wind blew through the night.

Like a troublesome child, it rattled loose windows and whipped around small branches in the trees. It blew on, and as it passed a derelict apartment building on the edge of the city, it caused a door to slam closed. As the breeze swept off into the night, the door slowly creaked open again.

The occupant of the small, dank apartment room ignored the sound, as she was safe in the knowledge that anybody stupid enough to try and gain access uninvited would deserve everything they got for their troubles.

She instead sat motionless in front of a computer screen, a set of goggles over her face, completely absorbed in the game known as 'The World'.

"That is an unacceptable offer. That item is worth half that which you wish to sell it to me for."

The young thief barely missed a beat as he again tried to peddle the next-to-worthless obsidian amulet to the Wavemaster. However, the way she stared at him with those bright red eyes was… unnatural.

"Half? I think not. This took me three hours of painstaking searching to find it in the depths of a high-level dungeon. This is a bargain."

Blue Oni curled her upper lip slightly, an expression that she would not have allowed herself in the real world. "Then you wasted your time."

Without saying another word, she turned, walked a few paces away, then teleported away.

The thief sighed. Sighting another worthy candidate, an inexperienced-looking spearman, he put the Wavemaster out of his mind as he composed himself for the con.

Blue Oni reappeared next to the gate in the courtyard of Teriax city, nearly landing directly on top of another player. As he was bumped aside, he tripped on a crack in the pavement, and barely prevented himself from losing balance.

Blue Oni looked at him, and offered him a hand to steady himself.

"Heh, sorry about that, Wavemaster. I just logged on, and was having a bit of server trouble."

"Your apology is accepted."

The young man looked curiously at her, taking in the details of her face. Frowning slightly in concentration, "Have we met before? You look very familiar." He asked.

"Perhaps in the real world, but I doubt it. I know very few people." She responded. Usually, she wouldn't have even paid attention to him.

A strange look came over his face, like he though something was funny, but didn't want to laugh. "Well, we've met here now. My name is Shadow. How do you do?"

Blue Oni blinked in surprise. Usually, people in the world were ruder than they would normally be, because they did not see a point in being polite. This man, however, seemed to be the epitome of a gentleman. She would humour him.

" I am well. My name is Blue Oni."

He grinned. Pulling something out from his backpack, he handed I to her.

"I am not interested in buying this item from you." She said coldly, and held it out, trying to give it back.

"Nah, keep it. Not doing me any good, is it? You can have it."

Her jaw dropped slightly, but she quickly reigned in her surprise. One unwritten rule in the world seemed to be 'everything is for sale, but nothing is for free.'

However, she accepted the gift. It would be rude to give it back, after all.

"Thank-you."

The young fighter grinned again. "Feel like cleaning out a dungeon sometime?"

Blue Oni considered a moment then looked at her clock.

"I do not have time tonight." As Shadow face-faulted, she amended, "but tomorrow will be fine."

Shadow's ever-present grin again lit up his face. "Great! Say, seven o'clock here?"

"That is acceptable." With that, she turned back to the gate, and logged out, leaving the warrior alone. His smile quickly faded from his mouth.

"This is getting weird. That girl looked just like Rei… but didn't act like her." He thought about it for a moment. "Much."

Back in the apartment, Rei took off her goggles, and shut down her computer. Resting the virtual-reality visor on the top of her computer screen, she closed her eyes with a sigh. While she had begun to open up with her feelings slightly over the past few years, having a normal conversation with anyone was difficult and tiring. She still preferred to keep to herself, but that young warrior in The World, Shadow, reminded her of Shinji. Just the pure niceness in his voice, not wanting anything out of her like everyone else. Even her creators, who had told her that she was loved, turned out to only want her for a purpose, the discard her.

Shinji, though, he was different. Only he could get her to smile, and only he had ever shown genuine care for her well-being.

Yes, Rei concluded, Shadow reminded her of Shinji.

Standing up, she stretched and walked over to her bed. Lying down, she fell asleep almost instantly.

Author's Notes: yeah, I know. It's another short chapter. There are two reasons for them. First, I am way to damn bum lazy to write longer ones. Second, it gives everyone time to tell me what they think about how I am going. I know for a fact that it is far easier to make changes to a small chapter than a large one.

Anyways, I'll leave this for a bit, and I'll write my next chapter… umm… when I get around to it… meh.

Oh, by the way…for any die-hard .hack fans, I'll say right here and now: most of the items and places are not from the show. This is an EVA fic.


	4. Hacker's Secret

.HACKEVA

Author's Notes: I know, I know… I take forever to write these things, and they are tweeny little chapters, too. And just to clear up a misconception; yes, there ARE ranged weapons in .Hacksign. I've seen a couple of guys with bows in the series. Like when that Sora guy and the Silver knight dude kill a couple of blokes when they are up against one of those unkillable monsters, one of them has a bow.

And as for the items, well, how many RPGs have you played that DOESN'T have piles of weird items? None, I'll bet.

CHAPTER FOUR: HACKER'S SECRET

A branch waved in the breeze ominously.

In the middle of a small clearing, surrounded by dark trees, three figures stood around the broken remains of what appeared to be a bed, long since discarded. The three people, two men and a woman, huddled in close, speaking in harsh whispers, even though they were the only ones that possibly even had access to the field, let alone be present. Their whispering got louder, their anger clearly being felt by each other. Soon they were shouting, yelling words at each other. However, their words were of a language known only to them, created for this very meeting. The next day, any trace of the coding program would cease to exist, self-deleting itself and any records that it ever existed.

The woman yelled something, her eyes ablaze beneath her hood. The two men quietened instantly, then listened silently as she spoke for a few minutes. With a cold glare, she disappeared, warping back into a field better known. One of the men looked at the other, and spoke without the coding program.

"Azrael, can it be true?"

The older man regarded his younger accomplice's question carefully. At length, he replied "I… cannot be sure. Even if it did exist, we still don't have the faintest clue where to look for the pieces."

The younger man's lips pursed together in annoyance. It was very difficult to get a straight answer out of Azrael, and he was running out of patience for the old hacker. He would hang around long enough to get the information he wanted, then leave Azrael at the mercy of the system administrators, who would get an 'anonymous' tip about his hacking.

"Yes or no, Azrael. Does it exist, or not?"

The old fighter sighed. "Yes, it exists. Although where the pieces are, or how to activate them are…" He was cut off as the younger man teleported away. He growled.

"That little bastard had better not do what I think he is…"

Full of anger, Azrael decided to lie low for a while, before he looked for the pieces of the artefact that they were searching for. With that, he too teleported away, leaving only the rustle of the leaves in the wind.

"MISTER Ikari, do you have a good reason why this assignment was not handed in?"

Shinji looked at his feet. He was sitting in the school principal's office, all because of an assignment he hadn't handed in.

"Well, um, no sir." He replied meekly. He had a reason, of course, but the ex-pilot didn't thin kit was a good one. He had been caught up in playing 'the world', and had clean forgotten to do it. He continued to examine his shoes for lint as the aging man gave him a stern look.

"Don't let it happen again. You have been a good student, and I would dislike it to need to send a letter of concern to your guardian."

Shinji gulped. He wasn't too fond of the idea either.

"Yes sir. It won't happen again sir."

The frown softened around the edges. The old principal was known for being soft on his favourite students. "You may go now, Shinji. I expect this to be done by tomorrow."

"Yes sir" Shinji was silently relieved as he left the office. Having Misato lecture him about not doing schoolwork was not his idea of fun.

Bored out of his mind, Shinji logged onto 'The World's message board, to try and find something to block out the drone of the old teacher's lecture. Finding an interesting article, he started to read.

Bluedragon: I'm sure this has been asked a million times, but what is the staff of ages? I heard some players talking about it, but they didn't know much about it. Anyone care to fill me in?

Azrael: It doesn't exist. It is just a legend, nothing more.

Bluedragon: Are you sure? It could exist. Administrators have put 'legendary' items in the world before.

Azrael: It does not exist. Now stop posting nonsense.

Bluedragon: Ok, fine. But what is the legend behind it, at least?

This topic has been closed by system administration. We apologise for any inconvenience. 

Shinji read the last part again, just to make sure he had seen it correctly. 'The administration never close topics… I wonder what they are hiding?'

Author's notes: ok, tweeny little chapter again, took forever to post. All I can say is that I am a busy person, and writing fanfiction does not rank very high on my 'to do' list. Year 11 schoolwork, my warhammer 40k army to paint, etc.

I have no idea when I'll next post, but keep checking every now and again.


	5. Reality in a virtual world

.HACKEVA

Author's notes: I REALLY need to update more often, don't I? Eh, I guess I'm just not a serious fic writer… well, I have an excuse… lots and lots of schoolwork! I haven't even been painting my 40k army up! Grrr….

Anyhoo, I'm too damn lazy to write a disclaimer, maybe I should kidnap my old muse again. That's what he is for, after all….

CHAPTER FIVE: REALITY IN A VIRTUAL WORLD

A light 'thump' signalled to Misato that at least one of her charges were home, and had dropped his or her bag on the floor. Judging by the lack of noise, she predicted that it was Shinji. Sure enough, a few seconds later the young man appeared in the doorway of her room.

"Hey Misato, have you got the results from our synch test from last week?"

Misato mentally slapped her forehead. Even though the threat of the angels had passed, the pilots were still required to perform synch tests once a month. And the results of the last one were sitting on her desk at NERV.

"Sorry Shinji, I kinda… forgot them. I'll have them tomorrow, promise!"

Shinji rolled his eyes, knowing full well it would be at least another week before he saw them. Not that he really cared that much, it was always Asuka who was eager to brag about her piloting abilities.

"Yeah, ok Misato. I think I'll go on the net for a while."

The Woman looked at Shinji's retreating form with a tinge of sadness. He had been spending most of his spare time playing that game, and Asuka was no different.

Why don't they spend any time with me anymore? Misato thought. We haven't done anything for months! This needs to change…

As Shadow appeared next to the Teriax gate, a set of red eyes regarded him.

"You are late."

The warrior blinked in surprise, and looked at his clock. 7:01.

"Hey, only by a minute." As soon as he made the excuse, he knew it really wouldn't matter what he said. _This girl is just like Rei._

However, he grinned at her. "Stickler for deadlines, eh?"

The girl gave him a cool, unsettling stare. After an uncomfortable moment, he decided to try to break the ice.

"Ok, I'll make it up to you sometime. Now, you ready to go kill something?"

Blue Oni's eyebrows arched ever so slightly. Shadow again got the impression that This Wavemaster did not always need words to communicate. However, she graced him with a verbal answer.

"Of course. Do you have a specific dungeon in mind?"

After a moment of thought, he replied with the age-old answer that men have used since the dawn of time: "No, not really. Any suggestions?"

Blue Oni's eyes seemed to sparkle with barely-contained anticipation.

"Perhaps a dungeon in the Fire Wastes area?"

Shadow grinned. This Wavemaster certainly was not afraid to battle difficult monsters. But then again, neither was he.

"After you, madam." He indicated the swirling incandescence of the gate behind him.

As the two players warped away, their destination was noted by a figure sitting on the edge of the fountain in the main square of Teriax.

In a darkened room on the outskirts of Tokyo 3, a computer screen threw a silhouette of a person against the opposite wall. Over the man's eyes, a set of virtual-reality goggles hid his identity as he typed furiously at the keyboard in front of him. As if the jumbled lines of computer code were a map showing the location of a treasure chest, he smiled.

The sharp hiss of a blade being drawn was the only indication to Blue Oni that the warrior across the room from her was ready. As if by a predetermined interval, they both attacked their opponent at once. A blast of icy cold air took the serpentine wyrm off guard, and moments later two small bolts smashed into its chest. Recovering from its surprise, the small dragon-class creature let loose a stream of fire at what seemed to be the weaker target, only for a shield of energy to block it. Another bolt impacted on the monsters hide, followed by an expertly wielded blade, decapitating it. As the Wyrm faded to nothing, Blue Oni turned to her companion.

"Why did you wait to use your power slash attack? It would have destroyed the target without needing to waste your crossbow bolts."

Shadow had his permanent grin still in place. "Just wanted to test you out, Wavemaster."

Blue Oni narrowed her eyes slightly. "Then it would have been easier for you just to challenge me to a dual." She brought up her staff into a fighting poise.

Shadow chuckled. "No, no point in that. This is supposed to be just a social trip, and I'm not much of a power gamer anyway."

The blue-robed woman did not look impressed. Shadow just rolled his eyes at her.

"Relax, Blue. Or would you prefer me to call you Oni?"

She smiled lightly at his constant humour. "Blue would be fine, Shadow."

Shadow looked troubled. "I never said you could call me that, Blue."

A look of confusion blanketed her face "But you do not have a second name…"

Shadow laughed again. "I'm kidding, Blue. You need to get out more."

Author's notes: MWAHAHA! Don't you just love suspense? Who are these hackers, and who is interested in the movements of our heroes? (Note: term 'heroes' used loosely.)

These questions may (or may not) be answered in the next chapter! (means that I am 'winging the entire story).


	6. It's A Good Day To Die

.HACK/EVA

Well, I said I might do it, and here I am. Actually, I have just finished chapter 4 of 'And They Shall Know No Fear', so I'm right in the writing mood! Now there's a point. Does anyone write huge amounts in a short amount of time and then do nothing for a while (like me), or are most people steadier?

Anyway, on with the show, ladies and gentlemen (And Muses. My old one didn't really fit into either category…)

CHAPTER SIX: IT'S A GOOD DAY TO DIE

Shadow quietly slid another clip of crossbow bolts into place and flicked the arming lever. Satisfied, he clipped the weapon to his belt, and continued down the dungeon. Neither he nor his companion had said a word in five minutes; Blue Oni seemed to be more comfortable with silence.

Nevertheless, he tried to break the ice a little. "Having fun, Blue?"

"This is most enjoyable, Shadow. I enjoy your company."

"Would you like to do this more often?"

As the Wavemaster considered this, Shadow hoped he hadn't pushed the point too far.

"Yes, I would."

Grinning, Shadow opened his mouth, but was halted by a sound behind them. He whirled, grabbing his repeater crossbow-pistol and training it down the corridor.

Nothing.

Another sound, this time closer. It had a slight ringing quality to it, much like metal striking stone. Silently flattening himself against a pillar, he looked over at his companion. She too was in hiding across the hallway, her staff at the ready.

'Clink' this time, the sound was right next to them. Twisting away from his hiding place, Shadow found himself aiming straight at another player. Worse yet, it was a player he remembered.

"Well met, warrior." The sweetness in the spear-woman's voice was laced with venom.

Keeping his weapon trained on her, Shadow took a few steps back slowly, to put him further out of reach.

"What do you want?"

Smirking, she raised her weapon in a fighting stance. "My treasure."

"Well, sorry, but I don't have it anymore."

She glared, but the young woman obviously had learned her lesson from last time, and kept her eye on the weapon pointed at her.

"Then whatever you sold it for, give me the money!"

"Sorry again," continued Shadow, trying to hide the mirth in his voice, "I gave it away."

"You… You did WHAT?" her voice was incredulous. "You gave away a Mithril rod? Do you know how much they are worth?"

Shadow simply smiled and shrugged. "Oh, money isn't all that important to me."

"Is this what you are looking for?"

Shadow looked over his shoulder at Blue Oni. She had walked out of her hiding place, and help the Mithril rod up before her. "Shadow gave it to me as a token of friendship. So if you want it," she said, still in a monotone, "You'll need to take it from my dead body." Raising her staff in a battle position, she stood firm in the middle of the corridor.

Shadow stepped aside. This was a personal challenge, so he could not interfere. The redhead stalked towards the Wavemaster.

"In that case….DIE!" she screamed, lunging at he opponent. As the point of her weapon arced towards her opponent's heart, she felt triumphant.

Until the Wavemaster completely disappeared.

The spear continued on its course, taking her off-balance. Before she could recover, a blast of energy hit her from behind, and sent her sprawling across the flagstones.

Rolling to her feet, she looked for her opponent. All she could see was the slightly surprised warrior standing a short distance away. Spinning several times on the spot, there was no evidence of the Wavemaster.

"WHERE ARE YOU?" she screamed, the sound echoing off the stone walls.

"Here." A soft voice said, right behind her, right before a bolt of lightning tore through her chest.

As the body fell to the ground, Blue Oni heard the sound of clapping. Shadow walked over, a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Nicely done."

"I am drained." She admitted, reaching into her cloak for an energy potion. Uncorking it and imbibing the pale blue liquid, she straightened her cloak and continued down the corridor.

"We should be close to the treasure."

Smiling ruefully, Shadow took one last look at the corpse before it faded, and hurried to catch up.

Striding down the corridor, Azrael stared resolutely towards his prize. This, perhaps, was the reason he did not notice the black-clad shape leaning against the wall until it spoke.

"You're late."

The tall Wavemaster frowned at the younger player. While the twinblade was good, there was no doubt about it; his hacking skills were sub-par when compared to Azrael's own.

"I was held up. System administration has been looking at me more closely than they should. You wouldn't have anything to do with that would you, Aida?"

The younger player growled. The older hacker was more thorough than he had expected.

"How did you know my other identity, Azrael?"

The Wavemaster chuckled.

"When you get to my age, there are two kinds of people in the industry of collecting information: those who look properly and cover their tracks, and those who get caught. I am in the former category."

"Well, use my web-name, Azrael. I don't use your real name."

"Probably because you don't know it."

The younger man's eyes narrowed. He hated working with the old Wavemaster, but it was necessary. Azrael was possibly the only hacker in the world he knew of that had the ability, and the willingness, to pull off the job they needed to do.

"Anyway, Lets get this over and done with, before the Crimson Knights decide to break up this little party."

Azrael simply laughed. "I wouldn't worry about them, Darkbane. This whole map is warded to deal with they, or anyone else for that matter, should those pesky lapdogs of the administration decide to try and stop us."

Walking to the centre of the room, he planted his staff in the centre of the room, and closed his eyes. Lines of code sprung from the outstretched fingers of his other hand, spiralling downwards. Where they touched the earth, flashes of light illuminated pulsed, illuminating the dark chamber.

Darkbane watched on in awe as the Wavemaster unleashed the full force of his magic, warping the very fabric of the world. The entire room was awash with power, so much that the young hacker had to back into the corridor leading out, quickly implementing a shield hack. Even so, the primal fury of the magical power battered at his defences, bolts of energy powerful enough to flay any normal character exploding on his shield.

As sudden as it had started, the storm of raw power stilled, the chamber plunging into darkness once more. Hesitantly creeping forward, Darkbane saw the Azrael lying on the floor, his crimson robes splayed out around him like some cruel parody of an angel's wings.

As he approached, the Wavemaster stirred, and slowly pulled himself up. Clenched in his hand was a golden amulet, a small green gem set in its centre.

"Is that…"? Darkbane cautiously began.

"Yeah, that's it. The Charm of Time."

The younger hacker grinned. "One part down, one to go."

Azrael nodded. "I've done my part, all you need to do is find the other piece. I couldn't unlock the Rod of Light to any particular location, but I've tracked it to somewhere in Teriax city. Trust me, it will be well guarded, as the wards of protection were too difficult for even myself to break."

Darkbane nodded. "I'll start looking tomorrow night."

With that, the two hackers disappeared, leaving the vault quiet and dark.

"So, next time tomorrow, Blue?"

Blue Oni nodded at her new friend, and smiled slightly. "Yes, I would enjoy that, Shadow."

As the warrior started towards the gate, he distinctly heard her say "And do not be late next time, Shadow."

Turning and laughing, he waved, and logged out.

Woot! And there we are, folks! Another small chapter, I know, but I'm not a big chapter writer. I'll try and get his posted ASAP, at the same time as 'And They Shall Know No Fear' (now why couldn't have I chosen a shorter name? Oh well!), so everyone can enjoy a new chapter for both of my stories at the same time!


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